1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for making am electro-optic device such as an organic electroluminescent (hereinafter referred to as “organic EL”) device and a liquid crystal device, and to a liquid-ejecting device that can be used in making the electro-optic device.
2. Related Art
Organic EL devices and liquid crystal devices, which are representative examples of the electro-optic devices, are being applied as display units of electronic apparatuses such as cellular phones, personal computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Referring to FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C, organic EL elements of such organic EL devices are made by forming, on a substrate, a plurality of pixel electrodes and a recess 5e for defining a plurality of functional layer-forming regions for forming organic functional layers 86 such as emission layers on the pixel electrodes; ejecting liquid matter 85 from a liquid ejecting device into recesses 5e defined by the partition wall 5b to fill the recesses 5e with the liquid matter 85; and then removing the solvent component from the liquid matter 85 so as to form the organic functional layers 86 (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-222695).
In the case where such a method is employed, as shown in FIG. 12B, the liquid matter 85 preferably fills each recess 5e by forming a protruding meniscus to increase the amount of the liquid matter 85 filled in the recesses 5e and to thereby increase the thickness of the organic functional layer 86. This is to overcome the troubles that would occur when the functional layer-forming material is poorly soluble in the solvent and the problem of an increased viscosity that results when the functional layer-forming material is a highly concentrated polymer material.
The organic functional layers 86 formed as such have a thickness defined by the opening width and depth of the recesses 5e, the functional layer-forming material concentration in the liquid matter 85, and the contact angle between the liquid matter 85 and the partition wall 5b. 
As shown in FIG. 12B, in the case where the liquid matter 85 fills each recess 5e by forming a protruding meniscus, the radius of curvature R of the arching surface of the meniscus is defined by the following equation on the basis of the opening width W of the recesses 5e and the contact angle θ with respect to the partition wall 5b, as shown in FIG. 13:R=W/2 sin θThe area S of the shaded area corresponding to the meniscus is expressed by the following equation:S=(W2/4 sin θ)(θ/sin θ−cos θ)Thus, in the case where the liquid matter 85 fills a recess 5e by forming a protruding meniscus at an contact angle of θ with respect to the partition wall 5b and where the opening width W is doubled without changing the depth of the recess 5e (height h of the partition wall 5b) or the functional layer-forming component concentration in the liquid matter 85, the amount of liquid matter 85 corresponding to the enlarged meniscus becomes four times as large. Since the amounts of liquid matter 85 filling the recesses 5e differ between those recesses 5e with a large opening width W and those recesses 5e with a small opening width W, the thickness d of the organic functional layer 86 formed in a recess 5e with a large opening width becomes larger than that formed in a recess 5e with a small opening width.